How the election Results Would have Looked if Only White Men were Allowed to Vote

There were a fair few grumbles among Americans as the election approached – but none, thankfully, about the fact women or ethnic minorities were unable to vote.

Turn back the clocks 150 years, and it would have been a very different story, with the outcome of the election also greatly changed.

Buzzfeed has taken this year’s exit polls for gender, colour and age, and compiled maps showing whether the states would have turned blue or red before universal suffrage.

The maps interestingly reveal just how much Obama relied on the votes of America’s women and ethnic minorities compared to the staggering percentage of white men who supported Romney.

In 1850, only white men could vote. One map reveals how, if Tuesday’s election was solely judged on the votes from white men, Romney would have enjoyed a landslide victory.

What a difference a century makes: If only votes made by white men in this year’s election were counted, as they were in 1850, the Republicans would have enjoyed a landslide victory – only losing out on five states

Only Oregon, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont would be blue, with Romney securing a staggering 501 electoral votes to Obama’s 37.

By 1870 – until 1920 – voters expanded to all men, which would have shifted the results slightly – yet Romney would still have secured a winning 322 electoral votes.

By 1920, women were allowed to vote, yet there were still massive hurdles for minorities, so Buzzfeed drew a man showing only white men and women.

A few extra states turn blue – Iowa, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware – but again, red dominates. Romney would have won 441 electoral votes compared to Obama’s 97.

In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18 from 24; a map for 1970 only includes the votes made in 2012 by people older than 24.